GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Without carbon dioxide, Earth’s natural greenhouse effect would be too weak to keep the average global surface temperature above freezing. By adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, people are supercharging the natural greenhouse effect, causing global temperature to rise.

Detailed explanation-2: -Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas. This means that it causes an effect like the glass in a greenhouse, trapping heat and warming up the inside. This effect is important: without the CO2 that naturally exists in the atmosphere, Earth might be too cold to support human life.

Detailed explanation-3: -Human Activity Is the Cause of Increased Greenhouse Gas Concentrations. Over the last century, burning of fossil fuels like coal and oil has increased the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This increase happens because the coal or oil burning process combines carbon with oxygen in the air to make CO2.

Detailed explanation-4: -Is there a point at which adding more CO2 will not cause further warming? No. Adding more CO2 to the atmosphere will cause surface temperatures to continue to increase.

Detailed explanation-5: -Yes, it seems that increases in CO2 follow increases in temperature by up to about 1, 000 years during interglacial periods. After all, this natural increase in CO2 helps bring the planet out of ice ages and moderates temperatures during interglacial periods.